Allow students to understand and practice numbers and the number system through a variety of activities including games, structured and nonstructured materials. Children should use different calculation methods when practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Introduce a game where you give the children an answer and ask them to find the question. For example, you may say 20 and ask the children to come up with different combinations for the question, such as 10+10, 10x2, 35-15, and more. They must also develop the ability to engage mentally first, when practicing their calculations and you can start a game of counting in 2s, 5s or 10s, for example. Children should also practice written calculations and the use of a calculator when appropriate. The simple calculation activities, such as 7+6, 9x5, or 10-5, should give children the opportunity to play with numbers and investigate number facts as they relate to real-life situations.
Give children the opportunity to discuss and ask questions to help develop their problem-solving abilities, through mathematical strategies involving numbers, shapes, space, measures and money. Allow students to communicate mathematically using appropriate notations, symbols and diagrams. Introduce a shopping game where you will have priced items with some on sale for 40% or 50% off regular price. Ask the children to choose the items they would like to purchase, determine the final prices for items on sale, work out the total costs, and their change. Visit interactive websites, such as BBC - KS2Bitesize or atschool, where you will find online games and activities to reinforce your lessons.
Let children explore, reflect and understand the measures. Allow them to use practical activities and materials to improve their understanding of the interaction between metric units and their use to estimate length, weight, time, volume and capacity, area and perimeter. Get the children involved in cooking by having them measure capacities (1.5cl of water or milk), weigh quantities (200g of sugar or flour), and evaluate the time it takes to finish a recipe (30 to 45 minutes at 220 degrees). They may also change a recipe from 6 to 8 people and modify the quantities accordingly. Another example would be to talk about time and ask how long it will take to finish a particular task (lunch or drawing), at what time is the bus arriving for pick-up, or in how many hours or minutes is recess?
Use materials such as construction paper and boxes to allow children to build and draw 2-D and 3-D shapes and patterns. Children must understand and name geometrical figures, including triangles, circles, hexagons, prisms, pyramids, pentagons and squares. When reading a book for example, have the children determine the sequence of events, and the position and shape of different objects in the story. Allow children to observe and investigate the concept of lines and angles in their environment as they relate to position, direction and movement. For example, children must be able to predict the position of an object after it has made a half turn. Have the children separate building blocks by shape and size, and count the number in each group.
Allow children to become efficient in handling data through numerous activities. Children should solve problems related to numerical data using charts, graphs and diagrams in practical activities, such as interpreting mailing lists and reports. Have them sort the names by region, city, or zip code. Play games that involve calculating total scores, including scrabble, bowling, or monopoly. Let the children become familiar with the probability language, including likely and unlikely, certain and uncertain.